IIHS Study: Waymo Gets Into Crashes 68% Less Often Than Human Drivers

An independent IIHS study (July 2026) compared Waymo's robotaxis to conventional vehicles across four U.S. cities: the self-driving vehicle was involved in crashes 68% less often and in injury crashes 81% less often per mile driven. Over 220 million miles and 20 million paid rides, Waymo has accumulated enough data to make this more than a promise.

For the first time, an independent organization has confirmed what Waymo had been claiming for years. The safety gap turned out to be not a few percentage points but tens of percentage points — and that changes the logic of regulation: if a technology statistically saves lives, banning it becomes harder to justify than allowing it.